Tag: cycling

J&P 09: Mesa to Florence

Posted on February 13, 2009December 4, 2014 by Rich

Tom’s last email indicated that the group would meet Bob and me at 11:30am. I figured that riding with the loaded rig would be slower, and so I budgeted 2 hours for the 18 miles. However, when 9:00am rolled around, I was so amp’d up to go, I just rolled on out of the driveway and started out onto Recker Road. My bike was certainly a different beast with its load. Of course, the extra weight made start-ups slower, and accelerations took a lot more pedal effort. Handling was particularly sensitive to grooves in the pavement, and even rolling at

J&P 09: Preface

Posted on February 12, 2009December 4, 2014 by Rich

At the end of September, my friend Mary Ellen Coe sent me a pointer to the J&P Tucson Tour. I asked further about it and she simply told me it was a bunch of fun. 2008 was a strong cycling year for me, basically culminating in the El Tour de Tucson ride in late November. In early December, I rode in the Phoenix Metro Bicycle Club’s Free Ride. Mary Ellen and I pushed hard the last 25 miles or so, doing 22-24 mph the whole way, and as a result I strained my knees plenty. The pain lasted a week

White Mts Tour 08: Springerville to Hondah

Posted on July 13, 2008December 3, 2014 by Rich

In the morning, Phil and I headed over to the Rode Inn lobby for a freebie breakfast. We sat with two ladies he’d met on the ride yesterday, and talked about our riding experiences. They weren’t wearing pink jerseys but we enjoyed the company plenty. One of the ladies talked at length about the Bicycle Tour of Colorado, a weeklong 400-mile loop through Colorado’s gorgeous scenery, including mega-climbing. Sounded pretty awesome. Jules soon joined us and Phil told me he again had gotten almost no sleep last night, so I’m not sure how’s he’s going to survive riding today. After breakfast

White Mts Tour 2008: Hondah to Springerville through St. Johns

Posted on July 12, 2008November 28, 2014 by Rich

Phil rises before the alarm in the morning, and he’s in his bike clothes before I’m out of bed. He tells me that he’s gotten almost no sleep. We find the Hon Dah Casino and Resort easily enough on AZ260, then search around for a coffee shop. We enter the casino restaurant from the back door, and find a very nice looking breakfast buffet on one side – perfect. I even enjoy half a cup of coffee, for both the good flavor and the unaccustomed caffeine jolt. Phil and I quickly register and receive a map, door prize ticket, and

White Mts Tour 2008: The Drive Up

Posted on July 11, 2008November 28, 2014 by Rich

It’s around noon and I’m just about finished packing gear for our weekend tour in Arizona’s high country. It’s been raining up there, so I check the forecast, then give Phil a call to give him an update. Answering the phone, Phil says, “What? It’s Friday already? We’re driving up there today?” Hmm…what more evidence do we need – that guy works too hard. I’m happy that Phil pulls his Suburban into my driveway about 3pm, and it’s me who is not quite ready, but almost. We head east on US60, through Superior and Globe, then up through the Salt

Luna Lakes 2008: Reserve to Springerville

Posted on May 26, 2008November 28, 2014 by Rich

Monday May 26 – We decided to leave earlier this morning, but I guess everyone else had the same idea. We enjoyed a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and sausage, and an interesting pumpkin streudel with a tasty topping. I had a rare cup of coffee that gave me a good morning jolt. After stowing our stuff for the truck, we found ourselves again the last riders on the course. Monday’s route started directly into a 14-mile climb from 5770 feet in Reserve up US180 (the Colorado Trail Scenic Road) to the Luna summit at 8000 feet in the San Francisco

Luna Lakes 2008: Quemado to Reserve

Posted on May 25, 2008November 28, 2014 by Rich

Sunday May 25 – Electing not to use an alarm, Mary Ellen and I awoke about 6:20AM the next morning. Unfortunately, our pre-paid breakfast was 5 – 6:30AM at the high school, nearly a ½ mile walk from the hotel. We dressed in a flash and practically ran there, arriving about 1 minute late, then grinned and pleaded our case for service. I was happy to see cold cereal and milk, my favorite, and downed several bowls. They also served leftover chocolate cake, which Mary Ellen started with, then added 2 pancakes on top of that. On our walk back

Luna Lakes 2008: Springerville to Quemado

Posted on May 24, 2008November 28, 2014 by Rich

Saturday May 24 – We arose to temperatures in the low 30s and spitting skies. Riders met in the Safeway parking lot, tossed luggage into a truck, and we were basically ready to go. I took observation of riders’ cold-and-rain clothing, which ranged from full head-body-and-shoe rain gear to poncho and jeans tucked inside knee socks. I wore all of my new purchases, with several layers inside the rain jacket. The route headed due east on US60, with temps in the low 30s, and skies heavily overcast. Mary Ellen and I made two small climbs to reach the New Mexico

Luna Lakes 2008: Preface

Posted on May 23, 2008November 28, 2014 by Rich

I’ve been riding with the PMBC for a couple months off and on, and I’ve started to meet other riders, particularly those who ride about the same speed I do. We call ourselves “tweeners” since we can’t quite keep up with the fast group, but always pull away from the slower group. One is Mary Ellen, a device manager who works for Medtronics. On our Saturday rides, she is a popular and sociable member of the club, and a strong rider. In April, she mentioned the Luna Lakes Tour, a GABA sponsored ride out of the Tucson chapter. I was

El Tour de Phoenix 2008

Posted on April 5, 2008November 28, 2014 by Rich

Preparation: Another year and another El Tour de Phoenix. I almost didn’t do the ride. Six days prior to the ETP, I rode in a GABA sponsored event called “Around the Tanks.” It was an exceedingly flat ride around the base of the White Tank Mountains, way west of Phoenix. In scheduling that ride, I figured it either might be a good (flat and easy) tune-up for the ETP, or it might just serve as an end itself, a good solid spring ride to top off the season before the summer heat. That ride was held last Sunday. After about